The team had topped the times in the pre-season media press day test and this pace continued through the free practice sessions on Saturday and throughout Sunday's three races.

The independent team were consistently the class of the field all weekend, convincingly beating the works-backed teams.

Matt Neal leads both the overall and independents' drivers' championships with 42 points to Yvan Muller's 40. The team's second driver Dan Eaves is in third place with 31 points. Team Halfords leads the teams' standings with 70 points to VX racing's 54.

MIRA were busy pre-season, supporting the team with safety design work, aerodynamic development and optimisation of the vehicle's stiffness & dynamic response. The trick roll-cage design ensures the car is not just crashworthy, but is also the foundation of a chassis that is responsive to set-up changes and carries a low centre of gravity.

News from the MIRA wind tunnel was also clear: "The new car responded well to the aero measures we adopted. Using the knowledge gained from last year's car we were able to arrive at an efficient design relatively quickly. and subsequent development in our Full Scale Wind Tunnel has shown it is clear that there is more to come, which is very encouraging. Moving into 2005 with 30% more downforce and a drag reduction is some achievement. The Honda powertrain is further boosted by the aero work - and we know the chassis is very competitive. Compared to the Civic last season the new Integra aero pack will allow the car to really mix-it with the factory backed teams in the high speed sections."

With the Dunlop BTCC Championship always providing close racing, we'll all be glued TV this season.